May ‘24 Community Calendar
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May Events
May 3: Cedars Artist Studio Visit - 6:00 pm
The Cedars Open Studios organization, in conjunction with the Janette Kennedy Gallery, present a Cedars Artists Studio Visit event in the South Side on Lamar building with the opening reception of H.E.A.L.E.D., a solo exhibit by Reuben Cheatem at the Janette Kennedy Gallery and highlighting the Cedars Artists’ studios of:
• Dallas Designing Dreams - Arthur Porter and Carla Robertson, AQ102
• Sam Fuller - Old Black Man Art, AQ 109
• Wright Art Twins Gallery, AQ110
• and moreMay 3: Opening Reception for Reuben Cheatem’s solo exhibition H.E.A.L.E.D. @ The Janette Kennedy Gallery
Following his diagnosis and subsequent treatment for stage 3 colon cancer, Reuben Cheatem’s memories have been permanently colored with the physical and mental tolls of the journey to wellness, along with the elation of a renewed sense of being.
H.E.A.L.E.D. illustrates this new chapter.May 9: Poetry Smash #7 Open Mic @ 7:30 pm
Poets go back and forth exchanging the mic for a night of spoken word! Coordinated by B. Randall
(Black Arts DFW Featured Event) May 9: Artist Talk with Reuben Cheatem, moderated by Darryl Ratcliff @ The Janette Kennedy Gallery @ 6pm
Join our co-founder, Darryl Ratcliff, as he moderates an artist talk with Reuben Cheatem on his artist journey and latest solo exhibition, H.E.A.L.E.D.
More about H.E.A.L.E.D.: Following his diagnosis and subsequent treatment for stage 3 colon cancer, Reuben Cheatem’s memories have been permanently colored with the physical and mental tolls of the journey to wellness, along with the elation of a renewed sense of being.
H.E.A.L.E.D. illustrates this new chapter.May 10: Discalced, a sock-footed dance party with jams by Aden and Friends @ The Janette Kennedy Gallery
Come prepared to dance across the wooden floors of The Janette Kennedy Gallery to the tunes of Aden and friends and her accompaniment in your fanciest socks. No shoes on the dance floor!
Did you know that socks are the most needed but least donated items for people in need? Bring new socks in any size for donation to benefit the Dallas Life Shelter.
May 10: An Evening with Jordan Riggs @ Tubman Gallery (Fort Worth) @ 7pm
Join the Tubman Gallery for an intimate viewing of Jordan Riggs's works, including the CHRONONAUT, with an artist talk and audience Q&A to follow. The event is free, but space is limited.
May 10 - 11: Luther Vandross: One Shining Moment presented by The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
If you've ever experienced a Luther Vandross performance live, then you'll sure not want to miss DANNY CLAY embodying and reincarnating this major American music figure. "He's simply magnificent," said Steve Harvey
May 12: Closing Reception for "ELEVATED - ABSTRACT TRANSCENDENCE OF AN ICON" by Edwin Marcelin @ Daisha Board Gallery
In "ELEVATED," Marcelin invites viewers on a transformative journey, re-envisioning an icon through a bold, abstract lens. His paintings are a testimony to deliberation and resolve, each stroke on the canvas reflecting the depth of his artistic journey. The approach is serious, and the palette is sophisticated, dispelling any trace of frivolity. Terrell Tilford, Founder and Creative Director of Band of Vices in LA, describes Marcelin's work as "thought-provoking, fearless, and unapologetic... raw and uncut."
May 17-18: Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Spring Celebration @ the Wyly Theatre
As our 47th season draws to a close, we invite you to join us for our grand finale! Our multi-faceted artists will be joined by special guests, The DASH Ensemble, as they embrace a spirit of joy and revelry in an exhilarating showcase of their passion and finesse.
May 17: Promising Young Artist Series “TBH” Concert presented by The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
Vocalist ENYONAM OSAE and vocalist ANYA HOLLINGSWORTH are two of the brightest young artists on the music horizon. TO BE HONEST, aka TBH, they're the real deal and they'll show it when they perform multiple genres of cover tunes
May 18: Surrealism and Us: A Symposium @ Modern Museum of Art Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth presents Surrealism and Us: A Symposium, organized by curator María Elena Ortiz and independent scholar Negarra A. Kudumu, with the support of Maria Barrientos, education administrator at the Modern. Featuring artist's conversations and performances, this symposium is inspired by the themes of the special exhibition, including Suzanne Cesaire’s reflections on the utility of Surrealism as a tool for liberation in Martinique and the broader Caribbean. The Symposium explores artistic production with participating artists and writers, focusing on contemporary Caribbean art along with notions of Surrealism, Afrosurrealism, and Afrofuturism through a series of discussions, a keynote address, and performance. ___________________________________________________________________________
Artists in Conversation Museum Auditorium
With Dr. Tiffany Barber, April Bey, Kim Dacres, Dalton Gata, Negarra A. Kudumu, Ashley Stull Meyers, María Elena Ortiz, Kenny Rivero, and Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, Surrealism and Us: A Symposium generates a space for conversation and discussion about certain themes presented in the exhibition and its accompanying publication. Artists, writers, and curators consider themes of Afrodiasporic spiritualities, resistance, and dreams, among other creative strategies.Keynote Address Museum Auditorium
Cole Arthur Riley, creator and writer of Black Liturgies (Convergent Books, 2024), shares their project centered on providing a space for spiritual practice, safety, and community. With prayers, poems, and meditation, Black Liturgies offers storytelling and myths highlighting the role of spirituality in contemporary culture.Performance Sculpture Terrace/Exhibition Galleries
Rashida Bumbray presents Run Mary Run (and Us), an intimate site-specific performance of the ring shout—accessed through the architectures of improvisation, surrender, and possession—in pursuit of functional responses to displacement, erasure, and social forgetting. This spiritual dance work considers the harmonic ideas and tonal vocabulary of master ring shouters the McIntosh County Shouters as a point of departure. Featuring Rashida Bumbray, Cecily Bumbray, Malik Bellamy, Ayanna Lee Blue, Lisa E. Harris, Carl Hewitt, and Rachel Schaffran with Jabari Exum (percussion) and Colin Chambers (keys).
(Black Arts DFW Featured Event) May 26: Ash Studios and the Concert Truck @ 7 pm
Join us at Ash Studios for an evening of music and performances featuring the Concert Truck and performances by local artists. More details to come.
May 30: KB Brookins & Joaquin Zihuatanejo Reading and Conversation @ Deep Vellum
Come join us for a double feature event with award winning poets and authors, KB Brookins and Joaquin Zihuatanejo in conversation in celebration of the launch of Brookins’ memoir, Pretty!
KB BROOKINS is a Black, queer, and trans writer and cultural worker from Texas. They are the author of Freedom House and How to Identify Yourself with a Wound. Brookins has poems, essays, and installation art published in Academy of American Poets, Teen Vogue, Poetry Magazine, Prizer Arts & Letters, Okayplayer, Poetry Society of America, Autostraddle, and other venues. They have earned fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, Equality Texas, and others.
May 31 - June 30: Thoughts of A Colored Man by Keenan Scott II @ The Jubilee Theatre
Thoughts of a Colored Man explores the lives, pressures, and passions of seven contemporary Black men who live in one Brooklyn neighborhood. The characters — never given names — are identified by traits they embody: Lust, Love, Anger, Passion, Wisdom, Depression, and Happiness.
Still on View
Dallas Museum of Art: When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History
Explore the complexities of visibility in our latest exhibition, When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History. The exhibition aims to broaden and complicate official histories and their corresponding visual strategies to allow for richer representations of those who have been traditionally excluded or erased. When You See Me features nearly 60 works by a diverse, intergenerational group of 50 artists who contend with visibility both socially and formally. Their works explore invisibility, hypervisibility, the desire to be seen, and the right to be private.
The multivocal nature of this show is reflected in its co-curation by the Museum’s entire Contemporary Art Department, which comprises Dr. Anna Katherine Brodbeck, Dr. Vivian Li, Ade Omotosho, and Veronica Myers.